Brick-kiln and method of operating the same.



c. E. VREDENBURG & T. LACEY. BRICK KILN AND METHOD OF OPERATING THE SAME.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 19. l9l5- 1,224,243. Patented May 1, 1917 2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

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Patented May 1, 1917.

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BRICK KILN AND METHOD OF OPERATING THE SAME.

APPLICATION. FILED FEB. 19. I915. 1224,243.

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CHARLES E. VREDENBURG, OF MECHANCSVILLE, NEW YORK, AND THOMAS LACEY, OF QUINCY, MASSACHUSETTS.

BRIGK-KILN AND METHOD OF OPERATING THE SAME.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed February 19, 1915. Serial No. 9,224.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, CHARLES E. VREDEN- nuns and THOMAS Lacnr, citizens of the United States,.and residents, respectively, of Meohanicsville, in the county of Saratoga and State of New York, and Quincy, in the county of Norfolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Brick-Kilns and Methods of Operating the Same, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like characters on the drawings representing like parts.

This invention relates to brick kilns and to the method of operating the same.

In order that the principle of the invention may be readily understood, We have disclosed in the accompanying drawing one type of brick kiln to which our invention may be applied, and whereby the-method of our invention may be practised.

In said drawings,-

Figure 1 is a vertical transverse section taken through the brick kiln, the central portion thereof being broken away;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the draft devices and adjacent portions of the brick kiln, the middle portion thereof being broken away;

Fig. 3 is a vertical section taken through the brick kiln, partly upon the line of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a vertical section taken upon the line H of Fig. 1.

We have herein represented our invention as adapted to and employed in a brick kiln of the general type disclosed in the patent to Steadman and Robinson No. 1,168,575, dated January 18, 1916, but we desire it distinctly to be understood that our invention may be employed in other types of brick kilns widely differing therefrom in structure.

Important objects of our invention are to provide means for, and also so to operate a brick kiln that the bricks may be satisfactorily burned at the heads of the kiln and preferably uniformly with the burning thereof at the middle portion of the kiln. A further object of the invention is to pro vide means whereby the fire may be caused, if desired. to burn first at the heads of the kiln. Other objects of the invention will be set forth hereinafter.

In accordance with the general object of the invention, we provide a brick kiln strucdraft thereto in such a Way that the fires Patented May 1, 1917 are always under'complete control, and by employing the principle of our invention as hereinafter set forth, we are able to secure a uniform burning throughout the kiln and also to effect the burning with greater econoiny of fuel, time and percentage of perfectly burned bricks than has heretofore been possible under any process or by any means with which we are familiar.

Although our invention is not limited thereto, it is important, in order to secure the best results, that the fires of forced draft brick kilns befree from what we may designate as draft leakage. If the construction be such that the draft can work its way through the sides or bottom of the fire box, an indeterminate and varying amount of air or air and steam Will find its way through the fuel bed, with the result that an accurate control cannot be obtained. Moreover, when the draft leakage commences, it usually increases, owing to the penetrating nature of the mixture of air and steam, which is usually employed to produce the draft. Therefore, in order to secure the best results, the bottom and sides of the fire box are impervious as set forth in the patent to Robinson and Steadman, No. 971,642, dated October 4, 1910.

The bed of the brick kiln may or may not be composed of the green brick being burned. Generally and preferably it is a permanent structure and is indicated at 1 in Fig. 3. The said bed has preferably formed therein a plurality of rows of chambers or depressions 2 constituting the fire boxes.

The bed or floor 1 is preferably construct ed from burnt bricks laid in'cement mortar, thus providing a practically air and'water tight structure. We have obtained satisfactory results by making the fire boxes 2 about eighteen inches deep and fourteen inches wide, but such dimensions may be varied. The said fire boxes may extend completely across the kiln or only part way across. In the disclosed application or embodiment of the invention the fire boxes are preferably tapered off or terminated about one third way in from either head of the kiln, being thus arranged in two series at the opposite heads of the kiln. As many fire boxes may be employed as are required to effect the burning. In practice, with the average clays, it has been found sufficient to arrange the fire boxes about thirty-four inches apart, whereby a wall of green brick of about four eight-inch bricks arranged lengthwise may be placed between adjacent fire boxes. In laying the green brick about the fire boxes to form the arches 3 thereabove, the green brick may be set a short distance from the edges of the fire box. After the arches are formed, the rest of the green brick is piled in the ordinary manner. These features may, however, be widely varied, as our invention is in no sense restricted to use in connection therewith.

. Referring to that particular embodiment or structure to which we have represented our invention as adapted or applied, we have indicated as extending along the center of each depression or fire box 2 a pipe or conduit 4, herein represented as having an imperforate section 5 and a perforated section 6 shown as connected to the section 5 by a suitable sleeve or collar 7. The said pipe or conduit, generally indicated at 4, is preferably removable and portable, and the perforated portion thereof may rest upon or close to the bottom of the fire box.

The brick kiln herein represented is in practice preferably made about thirty-five feet in width, and each fire box is about ten feet in length.

Thus with the dimensions given, the inner ends of the fire boxes extending from the opposite heads terminate about fifteen feet apart. Preferably the imperforate section 5 of each pipe or conduit 4 projects from its fire box at S, and is upturned as indicated at 9 with its free, open end 10 removed from the fire box door 11. If desired. and preferably, in'said open end 10 an injector 12 is arranged in order to deliver steam, thereby to entrain air and produce a forced draft. Any other suitable means may, however, be provided to afford a forced draft. The steam, if employed, may be supplied from a suitable source, not shown, to the several injectors. Preferably the upwardly projecting end 9 of each pipe 4 is offset and is not positioned directly in front of the fire box door 11. Preferably also the space between the upturned pipe end 9 where it projects from the fire box and the said fire box door11, is filled with brick and clay to form a tight closure and to prevent the admission of air excepting through the pipe or pipes 9.

While the pipes 4 may be constructed in various ways, we preferably provide them with said perforated portion 6, and preferably provide the perforations 13 along the bottom of said pipe or conduit whereby the draft is directed downward. I

The portion of the pipe or conduit 4 that is exterior to the fire box may consist of a section bent in a horizontal plane at subforced draft, and the pipe is also prefer ably so constructed as to be maintained in its proper position as it rests upon the bottom of the fire box, without twisting or; turning. Inasmuch as the perforations 13 are preferably provided in the lower part of the pipe, and if desired on each side of the lower portion of the pipe, such perfora tions would become displaced if the pipe were twisted or turned. The forwairdly projecting portion 9 of the pipe 4: into which steam is preferably delivered from the injector is ofiset as described, so that free access is afforded to the fire box through the door 11; Thus, the open upper end 10 of each pipe is removed from the fire box door and the liability of 'entraining ashes from the fire box into the pipe or conduit 4 is very remote. The inner end of each pipe 4 is closed in any suitable manner.

The construction thus far described and which we may employ in practising our invention, but to the use of which we are not limited, differs from what is shown in the said application of Robinson and Steadman in that we preferably provide the imperforate section 5 of pipe 4.

Heretofore great difficulty has been experienced in causing the fire to burn at the outer portions of the fire boxes, that is, at the heads of the kiln, evenly with the fire in the central and inner portions of the fire boxes. It is customary in the use of brick kilns so to place the fuel in the fire boxes 2 that the fuel is thinnest at or toward the inner ends of the fire boxes and is the heaviest or thickest at the outer ends thereof, where the heaviest fire is desired, owing to the loss of heat by radiation from the heads of the brickkiln. In practice, however, where a pipe or conduit is provided perforated throughout its entire length, the air tends to escape from such pipe or conduit where the fuel is thinnest and hence in the more nearly central portions of the brick kiln and not at the heads thereof. The result has been that about twelve per cent. of the bricks, being those at the heads thereof, have not been satisfactorily burned and must be reburnt. With constructions heretofore employed, the fire has started at the inner end of the fire box, thatis, toward the center of the brick kiln and has slowly worked its way toward the outer end of the fire box, that is, toward the head of the brick kiln through which the fire box passes. In an attempt to overcome this defect, it has heretofore been frequently necessary to use wood as fuel at the outer ends of the fire boxes to effect the final burning of the bricks. Moreover, where the burning has been continued until the bricks at the heads are properly burned, the bricks at the interior of the kiln have invariably been overburned. In order to overcome these disadvantages, we have provided means whereby the fire or fires may be perfectly controlled and caused to burn as promptly and strongly at the outer ends of the fire boxes as at or toward the inner ends thereof, and if desired the fire or fires may be caused to burn first at the outer end or ends of said fire boxes.

In order to accomplish this result, we provide means for introducing air, which if desired may be a forced draft, at or near the fire box or boxes, independently of and preferably preserved distinct from that introduced through the pipe 4, and in such manner that the introduction of air at such outer end or ends of the flire box or boxes may be controlled independently of the air introduced through the pipe or pipes 4. To that end, we preferably position over and about each imperforate section 5 of the pipe 4 a jacket or inclosing member indicated at 14. Each jacket or member is preferably of such diameter as to afford a space 15 between it and the imperforate pipe section 5 and is open at its lower side, as indicated at 16 in Fig. 3, where it preferably rests upon the bottom of the fire box 2. Preferably the inner end 17 of each jacket 14 is down turned, so as to fit tightly upon the pipe 4, thus preventing the escape of air at the inner end of said jacket, thus preserving the draft introduced to said jackets 14 from that introduced to the pipes 6. Each jacket 14 is perforated in any suitable manner for the escape of air .delivered thereto. For this purpose, we have herein represented the said jacket as having opposite rows of lateral projections 18, indicated most clearly in Figs. 2 and 3. By admitting air into the jackets 14 and by controlling the admission of such air, it is possible to control absolutely the fire at the outer ends of each fire box, and thus to cause it to burn evenly with the remaining portions of the fire in such fire box, and preferably more strongly in order to ofiset radiation from the heads of the kiln, with the result that the bricks at the heads of the kiln are burned evenly with those in the inner parts thereof.

We may introduce air in any suitable manner into the jackets 14 and in any suitable manner control the supply of air thereto. Inasmuch, however, as when the fire is burned or maintained more strongly at a side or head of the brick kiln, such head or side is closed up, as by sealing the doors 11 or other opening through the head, it is difficult or impossible to inspect the condition of the fire at that head or properly to regulate it therefrom, since the unsealing or opening of the door of a head for the purpose of regulating the fire would cause radiation of heat from the fire at that point and would thus impair the proper burning of the bricks. When the fire is being maintained more strongly at one head or side of the brick kiln, the other head or side may be unsealed, as by opening the door or doors 11, and hence the condition of the head fires at one head may be inspected through the other head thereof. If, however, means be provided at each head for regulating the fire or fires thereat, and the condition of such fire or fires be inspected through the opposite head, we have found in practice that any one thus passing from head to head about the brick kiln not only loses much valuable time, but is apt upon his return from the side of the brick kiln through which he has inspected the fires to make mistakes in the control of said fires, as by admitting the desired increased quantity of air at a neighboring fire box instead of that where it is needed. In practice, the fires in the different fire boxes may and usually do burn differently and upon each inspection it may be found that a fire in one fire box needs 1 additional air, While the fire in the next fire box should receive a decreased amount of air. Where a number of fire boxes at each head are employed, it would be difficult to control the fires in a proper manner at the head where the said fires exist, though this may be done within the scope and practice of our invention and is contemplated by us. Preferably, however, we provide means whereby the fire at each head in each fire box may be controlled from the opposite head of the kiln, thus permitting the work man to inspect the fire in each fire box through the open opposite head, and immediately upon such inspection and without changing his position, to control said fire, as by admitting additional air or cutting off a portion of the existing air supply from such point.

For this purpose we provide each jacket 14 with an offset, lateral portion 19, indicated most clearly in Figs. 2 and 4 and connect thereto the upturned end 20 of a pipe 21 which, as indicated most clearly in Figs. 1, 3 and 4, extends through the ground or through the permanent bed 1 to and through the opposite head of the kiln, at which point it is provided with an upturned portion 22 terminating in an open end 23 through which air may be admitted and where set, as indicated at 25, so that they do not interfere with the proper use of the doors 11.

The jackets 14 may be of any suitable construction, and for the purpose and scope of our invention any other suitable means may be provided for introducing the draft,

forced'or otherwise, at the heads of the brick kiln, in such a manner as to effect the control of the fire or fires at said heads independently of the portion of the fire or fires in the inner portions of the kiln. Thejackets 14: may be of any suitable length. In practice, we have obtain-ed excellent results by making them about thirty inches long. Thus, in the disclosed type of brick kiln, the portion of each pipe 4 that is not jacketed, but is perforated for the admission of draft-supplying air to the inner portions of the fire is substantially seven and a half feet in length. These proportions may, however, be suitably varied. In practice, the fuel rests upon and covers the pipes f and the jackets 14, which are embedded in the body of the fuel, the latter being replenished as it burns away by piling on more fuel until if required the fuel reaches nearly to the top 0 each fire box.

By reason of our invention, the fuel may be placed much more thickly or deeply at the heads than at the inner portions of the fire boxes, and yet the fires may be so controlled that an even burning of the bricks is effected. We have obtained satisfactory results by so placing the fuel that it overlies the perforated portions of the pipes 4: to a depth of only about one inch, while the fuel overlies the jackets 14 to a depth of eight inches. In the practice of our invention, we are enabled to use birds eye or like coal and to employ soft coal on the top. During the last twenty-four hours or so of the burning, both heads of the kiln may, if desired, be sealed up.

By reason of our invention, we have been enabled very markedly to reduce the length of time required to effect a proper and even burning of the bricks. Where heretofore it has been necessary to maintain the burning for a period of six or seven days, we have been enabled to cut down the time by more than a day, thus reducing the time of burn ing to about five days. At the same time, we have secured an even burning of the bricks throughout the kiln, thus avoiding the necessity of a reburning of any portion of the bricks.

Having thus described one illustrative'embodiment of our invention and the best mode known to us for carrying out our method, we desire it to be understood that although specific terms are employed, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense and not for purposes of limitation, the scope of the invention being set forth in the following claims.

Claims:

1. That method of brick burning which comprises supplying a forced draft current directly positively and with certainty into the fuel in that zone of the kiln which is between the heads thereof, and independently supplying a forced draft current or currents beneath the head or heads of the kiln directly and with certainty into the fuel at such zone or zones without forcing air by said independent supply into said zone that is between the heads.

2. That method of brick burning which comprises supplying a forced draft current directly positively and with certainty and in one direction into the fuel in that zone of the kiln which is between theheads thereof and independently supplying a forced draft current or currents in another direction beneath the head or heads of the kiln directly and with certainty into the fuel at such zone or zones without forcin air by said independent supply into sald zone that is between the heads.

8. That method of brick burning which comprises supplying a forced draft current downwardly directly positively and with certainty into the fuel inthat zone of the kiln which is between the heads thereof and independently and laterally supplying a forced draft current or currents beneath the head or heads of the kiln directly and with certainty into the fuel at such zone or zones without forcing air by said independent supply into said zone that is between the heads.

4. That method of brick burning which comprises supplying a forced draft current directly and positively into the fuel in that zone of the kiln which is between the heads thereof independently supplying a forced draft current or, currents beneath the head or heads of the kiln directly and with certainty into the fuel at such zone or zones and precluding the discharge of the respective currents except into their respective zones.

5. A brick kiln having, in combination, means to supply a forced draft current directly positively and with certainty into the fuel in that zone of the kiln which is between the heads thereof, and means for independently supplying forced draft current or currents directly and with certainty beneath the head or heads of the kiln into the fuel at such zone or zones without forcing air by said independent supply into said zone that is between the heads.

6. A brick kiln having means to supply. a forced draft current directly positively and with certainty and in one direction into the fuel in that zone of the kiln which is between the heads thereof, and means for independently supplying in another direction a forced draft current or currents beneath the head or heads of the kiln directly and with certainty into the fuel at such zone or zones without forcing air by said independent supply into said zone that is between the heads.

7. A brick kiln having a draft device adapted to be embedded in the fuel beneath a head of the kiln and a portion of the kiln inwardly beyond said head, means cooperating with said draft device whereby a draft current is supplied through said device directly and with certainty only into that portion of the fuel whichis positioned inwardly beyond said head, and means for independently supplying a forced draft current directly and with certainty into the fuel beneath said head without forcing air by said independent supply into said zone that is between the heads.

1 8. A brick kiln having, in combination, a fuel support, a draft device'extending along said fuel support said draft device having exit openings at different portions along its length, means to control the draft admitted through said device, a jacket for a portion of said draft device and provided with draft exit openings, and means to supply draft to said jacket.

9. A brick kiln having, in combination, a fuel support, a draft device 4; extending along said fuel support and adapted to be embedded in the fuel, said draft device having openings 13 at different portions along its length, means to control the draft admitted through said device, a jacket 14 for a portion of said draft device and provided with draft exit openings 18, and means to supply draft to said jacket.

10. A brick kiln having, in combination,

a draft conduit of substantially uniform diameter adapted to receive a current and to discharge it directly and positively into the fuel beneath a portion of the kiln inwardly beyond a head thereof, and means for independently discharging a forced draft current directly and with certainty into the fuel beneath said head without forcing air by said independent supply into said zone that is between the heads.

11. A brick kiln having a draft device adapted to be embedded in the fuel and to extend inwardly beyond a head of the kiln, said draft device having a series of openings through which a current may be discharged only into that portion of the fuel beneath a zone of the kiln that lies inwardly beyond a head thereof, and means cooperating with said draft device for independently introducing a draft current only beneath that head of the kiln inwardly beyond which draft device having exit openings at differ ent portions along its length, means to control the draft admitted through said device, a jacket for a portion of said draft device and provided with draft exit openings and means to supply draft to said jacket.

13. A brick kiln having in combination, a 7

fuel support, a draft device extending longitudinally along said fuel support and adapted to be embedded in the fuel, said draft device having exit openings at different portions along its length, means to control the draft admitted through said device, a jacket for the outer portion of said draft device and provided with draft exit openings, and means to control the draft to and through said jacket.

14. A brick kiln having in combination, a fuel support, a draft device extending longitudinally along said fuel support and adapted to be embedded in the fuel, said draft device having exit openings at different portions along its length, means to control the draft admitted through said device, a jacket overlying a portion of said draft device and spaced therefrom, said jacket having draft exit openings, and means to control the draft to and through said jacket.

15. A brick kiln having in combination, a fuel support'extending beneath a head of said kiln and extending inwardly beneath the adjacent portion of the kiln, a draft device extending longitudinally along said fuel support and beneath said head, said draft device having exit openings at different portions along its length, means to regulate the draft discharged through said openings, a jacket overlying a portion of said draft device and spaced therefrom, said jacket having draft exit openings and means to control the draft to and through said jacket.

16. A brick kiln having in combination, a fuel support extending beneath a head of said kiln and extending inwardly beneath the adjacent portion of the kiln, a draft de vice extending longitudinally along said fuel support and beneath said head, said draft device having exit openings at different portions along its length, means to regulate the draft discharged through said openings, a jacket overlying a portion of said draft device, and spaced therefrom and provided with lateral draft exit openings, and means to introduce air to said acket independently of that supplied to the main portion of said draft device.

17. A brick kiln having in combination, a fuel support extending beneath a head of said kiln and extending inwardly beneath the adjacent portion of the kiln, a draft device extending longitudinally along said fuel support and beneath said head, said draft device being imperforate beneath said head and perforated at intervals inwardly beyond said head, a perforated jacket about the imperforate portion of said draft device, and means to supply air to said jacket.

18. A brick kiln having in combination, a fuel support extending beneath a head of said kiln and extending inwardly beneath the adjacent portion of the kiln, a draft device extending longitudinally along said fuel support and beneath said head, said draft device being imperforate beneath said head and perforated at intervals inwardly beyond said head, a jacket overlying the imperforate portion of said draft device and spaced therefrom and provided with lateral draft exit openings, and means to supply air to said jacket.

19. A brick kiln having in combination, a fuel support extending beneath a head of said kiln and extending inwardly beneath the adjacent portion of the kiln, a draft device extending longitudinally along said fuel support and having draft exit openings at different points along its length, means to regulate the draft discharged through said openings, separate means to supply draft beneath said head, and means to regulate said separate draft supply at the opposite head of the kiln.

20. A brick kiln having in combination, a

fuel support extending beneath a head of said kiln and extending inwardly beneath the adjacent portion of the kiln, a draft device extending longitudinally along said fuel support and having draft exit openings at diflerent points along its length, means to regulate the draft discharged through said openings, a perforated jacket overlying the draft device beneath said head, a draft supply pipe extending from said jacket to the opposite head of the kiln, and means at said opposite head to regulate the draft supply through said pipe.

In testimony whereof, we have signed our names to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

CHARLES E. VREDENBURG. THOMAS LACEY.

Witnesses:

LoUIs A. JoNEs, MAY H. LOWRY.

copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the commissioner of Patents,

Washington, 13.0. 

